1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a vehicle air conditioner, and more particularly an apparatus for drying the inside of the air duct thereof to obviate the opportunity for providing a nest of germs or microorganisms such as virus, bacteria, etc. inside the air duct as well as to prevent foul odours resulting therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The vehicle air conditioner generally comprises a heater unit and an evaporation unit to provide a comfortable atmosphere for driving, where the heater is to take the heat of the engine, and the evaporation unit is to cool the atmosphere inside the vehicle. The air supplied to such units is forcibly driven by a blowing mechanism such as motor fan. The ventilation openings for introducing the air from the air conditioner to the inside of the vehicle are provided beneath the windshield, on the floor panel, and on he instrument panel. The air duct of the air conditioner communicates with the openings.
In this case, when the air flows through the air duct into the inside of the vehicle, the moisture contained in the air tends to reside in the duct as well as foreign matters such as dust. This causes a nest of germs or microorganisms such as virus, bacteria, etc. resulting in the health problems together with offensive odours. This phenomena occur seriously especially after raining or snowing.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 90-68213 discloses a kind of air conditioner, which has an auxiliary air duct including an auxiliary blowing mechanism for generating a reversing air current to prevent the deposition of foreign matters on the inside of the air duct. However, this means complicates the structure of the air conditioner.
Further, Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 93-270254 discloses a sanitation means provided in the evaporation unit, which requires about one hour to give a satisfactory effect.